The Malfoy Way
by tinylexie
Summary: A brief look at the childhoods of Abraxas, Lucius, Draco, and Scorpius Malfoy. Is it true that the son always passes on the sins of his father to his own child?
1. Abraxas

Abraxas Malfoy learned at an early age the consequences of being weak.

And of thinking foolishly.

There was a time when he had thought his mother to be strong. Every time his father started to beat and torture him for not getting his lessons right or for doing something else wrong, his mother was always there to step in between him and his father.

"You think that your mother is wonderful, don't you, boy," Abraxas's father said in a matter-of-fact voice one evening over dinner.

Before he could help himself, Abraxas glanced over at his mother's chair. It was empty because of the injuries that she had suffered earlier that day when she had once again taken the punishment meant for her young son.

"Well, your mother is pathetic, as are all women," Abraxas's father continued. "She doesn't fight back. She's not _strong_ enough to fight back."

One day, however, Abraxas's mother finally did fight back.

Her duelling skills, though, had not been a match for her husband's. Her efforts had been pitiful at best.

Abraxas tried not to tremble as he looked down at the main drawing room floor and into his mother's lifeless eyes.

"See how weak she was," his father laughed. "She never was a match for me. She always was beneath me. Are you going to be the same way, Abraxas, or are you finally ready to be a Malfoy? It doesn't matter to me either way. I am not yet past my prime. I can always have another son."

Abraxas forced himself to meet his father's eyes. He hated that his father thought him to be so replaceable.

At the same time, though, Abraxas was afraid of dying.

He didn't want to end up like his mother.

"I will do whatever you say," Abraxas finally said. "I want to continue to bring pride and honour to the great and noble Malfoy name."

"Then help me to make your mother's death look like an accident," his father grinned.

Abraxas immediately nodded his head in obedience. He didn't want to end up like his mother, after all.

At first, Abraxas missed his mother. He missed his mother taking the beatings for him.

Abraxas, however, did not give in such depressing thoughts. Instead, he dedicated himself to becoming the son that his father had always wanted. There was not a single command that his father gave him that he refused to obey. And in time, the beatings decreased. And eventually, they stopped completely.

"You are a perfect Malfoy," his father said one evening over dinner.

Abraxas beamed with pride.

He no longer gave any thought to his mother's empty chair. She had been weak and pathetic and therefore not worthy of even his thoughts.

When Abraxas's father finally died, Abraxas did not cry. Pureblood men did not cry, after all.

Abraxas, however, did miss his father. He missed his father deeply.

When Lucius came along, though, Abraxas found himself being relieved that his father was no longer around.

His father would have been so disappointed in him for failing to make Lucius a perfect Malfoy.


	2. Lucius

Lucius Malfoy learned at an early age how to pretend.

It could be argued, of course, that most young children know how to pretend. For one thing, it was considered normal for them to have imaginary friends. For another thing, it was also considered normal for them to play make-believe games.

Lucius, however, did not pretend as most other children did. He did not have any imaginary friends. He did not play any games, unless you wanted to count Wizard's Chess. No, Lucius pretended to be the perfect son who desired nothing more than to please his father.

Lucius never knew his mother. She had died in childbirth, and whenever he tried to ask his father about her, Abraxas would do nothing but talk about how weak and pathetic she had been.

It quickly became clear to Lucius that his father had hated his mother. It did not take the young boy long, therefore, to decide that his mother must have been a wonderful person. Not that Lucius ever told his father this, of course. Even though Lucius could be bold at times, at least according to Abraxas, he wasn't completely stupid.

Lucius learned at an early age not to speak about his mother, but that didn't stop him from often fantasying about her, especially when he was thinking about what would be the best way to kill himself. Lucius had a feeling that, unlike his father, his mother would have loved him, and that she would have never dreamed of torturing him or locking him in the dungeons in order to teach him a lesson.

Abraxas often lectured Lucius on what a huge disappointment he was and how he never listened. This always left Lucius confused. He spoke the words that his father wanted him to speak. He acted the way that his father wanted him to act. In public, Lucius always acted like the perfect son, and he only challenged Abraxas in the most subtle of ways.

In private, though, Lucius liked to question things. It only made sense for him to do so. If he was going to have beliefs, after all, he needed to be able to defend them. He wasn't trying to be disrespectful nor was he trying to be a bad son. He just wanted to be able to better understand and explain his viewpoints.

Abraxas demanded complete submission. Lucius, however, refused to give him that, as he wanted to be his own person who had his own thoughts. Oh, Lucius believed in blood purity like his father did, but that didn't mean he had to be exactly like the elder Malfoy.

Narcissa was another thing that the two Malfoys did not agree on.

"Women are just there to give you children," Abraxas often told his son.

Lucius, though, could never agree with his father's views on women. Narcissa made him feel like he was important and like his life was truly worth something. Narcissa gave him hope, encouragement, and a reason to keep on living. Abraxas, however, didn't want to hear any of that.

Abraxas was also never able to understand why Lucius wanted to raise Draco differently than he had been raised.

"You are much too soft on that boy," Abraxas often told his son. "You are going to make him weak, and a Malfoy cannot be weak."

Lucius knew that he and Narcissa spoiled Draco. However, he also knew that he did have high expectations for his son and that he expected nothing but the best out of Draco. Lucius, though, refused to punish Draco as his father would have punished him. Draco received many lectures, but he never received any bruises.

Despite everything, though, a part of Lucius held some sort of feeling for his father. Then, Lucius found out that his father had caused Narcissa to miscarry numerous babies before Draco, and there was no way that Lucius could ever forgive or accept that.

Abraxas's spirit, however, never fully left Lucius. Abraxas was not someone who could ever be fully forgotten.


	3. Draco

Draco Malfoy learned at an early age that his father was a very confusing person.

While Draco's mother loved him unconditionally no matter what he did or didn't do, his father required him to earn affection and praise.

"You are a Malfoy," Lucius often said. "You have to be the best."

It did not take Draco long to learn that being the best was hard work, and it did not take him long to decide that it was frustrating and annoying that his father required him to work for his approval.

However, Draco always found the hard work to be worth it in the end. Nothing made him happier than to hear his father say, "Good job."

Another difference that Draco observed in his parents at an early age was that, for the most part, he knew what to expect from his mother. His father, on the other hand, was once again a different matter.

Lucius wanted Draco to obey the rules, especially the rule "Don't touch anything that's not yours." This especially confused Draco as he thought that everything belonged to him on the simple basis that he was a Malfoy.

Draco became even more confused whenever his father required him to think for himself. Didn't his father want him to obey the rules?

"I don't understand this, Father," Draco said one evening while reading a philosophy book. "What is all this supposed to mean?"

"What do _you_ think it's supposed to mean, Draco?" Lucius asked in response. "Surely you have some thoughts on it."

"Not really," Draco mumbled.

Lucius sighed in frustration. "Draco, you aren't always going to have me and your mother to hold your hand. One day you're going to have to learn how to stand on your own two feet."

Not meeting his father's eyes, Draco grabbed the book and left the room. He didn't want to have this conversation again, and he had a feeling that his father was thinking the same exact thing.

As hard as it was to earn Lucius Malfoy's approval, however, Draco also learned at an early age that it wasn't that hard for him to get his way. All Draco had to do was complain for a while. His father lectured him on his whining, of course, but his father also tended to give him whatever he wanted.

Everything changed for Draco, though, when his father was imprisoned in Azkaban. Draco was finally forced to grow up and consider people beside just himself.

It was not the war, though, that really made Draco want to change. No, it was the birth of his son Scorpius that really made him want to become a better person. The moment he first looked into little Scorpius's eyes, Draco swore to himself that he would never leave his son wondering whether or not he really was loved.

As for Lucius, he continued to be a mystery to Draco. After everything that his family had been though in the war, there was no longer any doubt in Draco's mind that his father cared about him and wanted him to be safe and healthy. However, Lucius still refused to let go of many of his beliefs.

Lucius also didn't always approve of how Draco had decided to raise Scorpius. Despite that, though, Lucius adored and loved his grandson with a burning passion.

Many things had changed in Draco's life. However, there was one thing that had not changed for him. His father still confused him.


	4. Scorpius

Scorpius Malfoy learned at an early age that he was loved unconditionally.

He didn't automatically get everything that he wanted, and his parents did lecture him when he did something wrong. However, there was never any doubt in Scorpius's mind that he was still loved.

"I don't like that you lied to your mother about you flying on your broomstick unsupervised," Draco said on one occasion, "but both me and your mother still love you very much, and we both want you to know that you can tell us anything. You don't ever need to be afraid of us. We may not always like what you have to say, and we may sometimes get a little mad with you. However, we are always going to love you. Nothing that you could ever say or do could ever change how deeply we care about you."

Both of Scorpius's parents also taught him to treat everyone the same and to treat everyone with respect.

"Don't ever give people a reason to dislike you," Draco often said. "I'm not going to lie to you, Scor. You don't come from a family that is highly regarded in our society, and there will be some people whom will always despise you because of your family name. However, that doesn't mean that you have to be like the rest of us. You can be better than we were. You are this family's future. You are the one who's going to show the world that being a Malfoy is not necessarily a bad thing."

Scorpius followed his parents' advice, and not long after he started his first year at Hogwarts, he became good friends with both Albus Potter and Rose Weasley.

Draco wasn't exactly pleased to hear this news, and Scorpius understood why. He knew his family's history, and he knew all about the Potters and the Weasleys.

However, it had been Draco himself who had told Scorpius to be both a different and a better person than he had been in his youth.

"I just did what you told me to do, Dad," Scorpius said on one occasion. "I gave Albus and Rose no reason to dislike me."

After that, Draco never again said anything against Scorpius's choice of friends. Scorpius knew that his father still didn't completely like it, but Scorpius also knew that his father was not going to stop loving him just because he didn't exactly like his friends.

Draco also wasn't exactly pleased when he learned that Scorpius wanted to marry Rose. However, for Scorpius's sake, he was always civil and respectful towards the Weasley that had won the heart of a Malfoy.

No matter what happened, the bond of love between Draco and Scorpius never wavered.

As Scorpius looked into the eyes of his newly born son, he swore to himself that he would be just as good of a father as Draco Malfoy had been to him.

"No, you will be an even better father than I was," Draco automatically corrected as he held his grandson, a proud smile on his face.


End file.
